ROAD SAFETY FOR MINE-SITE WORKERS:
A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY Teegan Modderman*
At any given time, the resource sector is exposed to a number of safety hazards and risks that can have adverse consequences. Driving constitutes a significant risk that can impact on the safety of any worker. Many remote and isolated sites have a heavy reliance on driving as part of site life. A high percentage of workers are required to drive to and from work, between mine sites or as part of a worker’s occupational duties (use of heavy machinery, plant or equipment).
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hile many companies have implemented, or are working towards implementing, vehicle monitoring systems and fatigue detection technology on-site, a gap remains in the safety of drivers who are travelling to and from work. This area needs further exploration and attention. Road accidents have a significant and wide-reaching impact on family, friends, colleagues, the general community and emergency services. The emotional toll of such accidents cannot be measured in monetary form, yet families and organisations do face significant financial costs as a result of such an event. These include but not limited to: • Workers compensation costs • Loss of productivity and morale • Loss of income for the families involved • Funeral costs According to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics Road Deaths Database (2014), each year up to 1200 people lose their lives due to road crashes in Australia. Over the past eight years, almost two-thirds of all worker fatalities involved a vehicle; being divided approximately equally between vehicle accidents on public roads and vehicle accidents at a workplace or on
20 SAFETY SOLUTIONS - OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
a private road. Work-related road use is by far the most common cause of death in Australia, and given the difficulties in determining whether a road traffic accident was work-related, these estimations are considered to be an underestimation of the true extent of work-related crashes. Furthermore, in what is a major concern for resource companies that employ mobile workforces, statistics highlighted by a recent parliamentary enquiry showed a rising accident and death toll on roads in DIDO (drive in drive out) regions. So why is this happening? In a recent study conducted by TMS Consulting, it was discovered that a high risk for fatigue-related vehicle accidents was apparent in the resources sector due to the long working hours, long commute times and lack of sufficient sleep. Similar findings were noted in another study focusing on a DIDO workforce in the Bowen Basin, which discovered that the percentage of DIDO workers falling asleep while driving to commence work was up to 13% for day shift workers and up to 23% for night shift workers. Anecdotal evidence has found that many workers leave the workplace straight after shift to drive on average three to four hours home; with some drivers reportedly driving up to nine
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